Random In The Agency
by Caelice
Summary: AU. Super powered government agents Heiwajima Shizuo and Orihara Izaya are partnered together on a simple search-and-rescue mission. That is, it seems simple until Shizuo is given the instructions to permanently silence his partner…Shizaya friendship
1. The Working Partnership

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Durarara! characters.

**Rating:** T for swearing and violence.

**Pairings: **Shizaya friendship, Shinra/Celty, other canon pairings

**Summary: **AU. Super powered government agents Heiwajima Shizuo and Orihara Izaya are partnered together on a relatively simple search-and-rescue mission. That is, it seems simple until Shizuo is given the instructions to permanently silence his partner…

**Notes: **Now that I've almost finished my other DRRR! story, I thought I'd start my new one. This one will definitely be longer than UtS one with a wider and slightly more complicated plot. The Shizaya in this fic is friendship in my mind (though I'm sure that if you look hard enough you might be able to find subtle hints of something else, haha) and it will definitely have elements of many different genres.

Also, this is an AU so it's different from the DRRR! universe, but there's only a few slight changes. Things will be explained in the story itself, but as a starting point I'd just like to bring to attention that in this universe, all of the main characters (and others who aren't mentioned in the story) have inhuman abilities. So Shizuo's strength is in fact 'super strength', an inhuman super power bestowed upon him by genetics or something to that effect. Everyone's powers will be explained eventually.

The relationships between the characters will stay the same as in the canon, in the beginning at least – Shinra/Celty romance and so on – and might develop or change during the story.

That's all for the moment! Except to say that this focuses mostly on Shizuo and Izaya (obviously), but will still have a lot of the other characters involved.

Enjoy! (And review please!)

**Random In The Agency**

**Chapter One**

**The Working Partnership**

"_Hold him down! Damn it, hold him down!" _

_He struggles against the arms pinning him to the ground, roaring like an animal. _

"_He's too strong! I can't-"_

"_Shit – someone grab his legs, before he-"_

_He lashes out, kicking a man in the chin. The man's head snaps back and his eyes glaze over. He slumps to the ground. Empty. Dead. _

"_Heiwajima-san, calm down! Stop struggling!" _

_He twists his body, wrenching his arm out from their grips and punching one of his captors in the stomach. Cracking ribs. A harsh scream. Yells. He jerks his body so violently they are forced to let go to avoid being hit. Their words are senseless, too soft in his ringing, blurry head. Nothing means anything to him. _

_He's too angry. _

_Killkillkillkillkillkill-_

_He grabs the nearest man and throws him forward, somewhere, anywhere. The rest try to jump on him again but he's prepared this time. He grabs two of them and slams their heads together. They drop. _

_Another kicks him in the stomach – he barely feels it. He reaches out and grabs the man's head with his hands. And squeezes. When he lets go, there are bits of bone and blood and what could be brain in his hands. _

_He can smell fear. _

_Of course they're scared. He just squished a man's head like a grape with his bare hands. _

_He can taste blood. _

"_Stop this."_

_It's him. It's _his _voice. Something breaks through his fog of rage and he looks behind him, seeing _him _standing there. _

"_Stop this now."_

_Not a command, but a request. Not a request, but a command. Command, request, command, request, question, killkillkillkill…_

"_Don't be like this. Don't be a monster." _

_But with the blood and the bone and the brain and the blood and the blood and the pain and the madness in his hands and his head and his heart, he thinks it's too late. _

_He's too angry. _

**-o-o-o-o-**

**-o-o-o-o-**

Shizuo dropped his cigarette onto the floor and crushed it under his foot without mercy. This particular action was usually followed by a heavy object being thrown at some innocent bystander – _or Izaya but God knows the bastard deserved it more often than not _– but this time, miraculously, his blind fury abated into a sharp bitterness that simmered under the surface.

He breathed deeply, nostrils flaring as he attempted to keep his strength at bay. It worked, somewhat, and the only victim of his flash of anger was the mug in his hand, which shattered and fell to the ground. That was an improvement. Mugs were easily replaced, unlike lives. He knew that from experience.

At least his informal therapy sessions with Tom were working. He'd never said anything out loud, but Shizuo knew that the debt collector silently helped him with his temper during their missions together. Shizuo always felt that strange _push_ in his mind forcing him to calm down, to feel cheerful even, and he was grateful. The lasting effects of the push weren't as strong without Tom's presence, but Shizuo fancied the idea that they still helped keep him under control.

He dropped the remnants of the mug onto the table before leaning down to pick up the shards on the floor. Once he'd gotten all of them he dropped them into the trashcan, where he spied the broken shards of some other casualty, probably a mirror or another mug.

_I can't keep reacting like this; it's not safe. It's not like it hasn't happened before anyway_, he thought reluctantly.

If he didn't get more self-control, he'd have no more mugs left in his apartment. If he wasn't holding something when the Agency called to give him bad news then he'd always find something within reach to throw or crush in his inhumanly strong grip.

He certainly labeled being partnered with _him _as_ '_bad news'.

His eyes traveled to the phone on the table. He'd managed to put it down without damaging it before reaching for his cigarette. It wasn't such a big deal if he broke his phone; the Agency had other, more efficient ways of contacting their Agents. Kadota had no problem reaching him as long as he was within a couple hundred kilometers – the exact number was unclear.

Unlike other telepaths, Kadota only heard thoughts directed at him and could easily direct his own thoughts at someone else. It was, he said, having the gift of telepathy without the added insanity of having constant voices in your head. He could focus on communication without being interrupted by the passing thought of some stranger wondering what they were going to cook for dinner or how hot their secretary would look whilst naked. Kadota had to be the calmest telepath he'd ever met, and Shizuo had met quite a few telepaths, all of them pretty crazy.

God if there was one power Shizuo was grateful he didn't have, it was telepathy. He liked his peace and quiet – and unfortunately for telepaths, they had to live a life of constant noise. Even Kadota, who only heard thoughts deliberately meant for him, complained of being woken up at midnight by his friends demanding random things from him, or waking him just to tell him something that could easily wait until morning.

Speaking of Kadota, why hadn't he been the one to give Shizuo the mission?

Shizuo checked his watch. It was only 6pm, so Kadota shouldn't be busy at this moment. He glanced at his crushed cigarette on the ground, then sighed and picked up the pack. He lit up a new one and took a long drag, feeling himself calm slightly. He was pretty sure that his friend Tom had done some mind work on him to enhance the relaxing effect of cigarettes. He would be angry with that – nobody fucking conditioned _him_ – but it was helpful at times like these.

Gently – he knew that if he was too rough Kadota would end up with a migraine for the rest of the night – he reached out in his mind, trying to make that familiar link until he felt a response. Telepathic communication was something that had taken months of practice and in the beginning, only Kadota had been the one able to initiate a 'link'. Now he could do it with ease, and there wasn't that uncomfortable feeling of his mind being violated (okay, that may have been an exaggeration on his part).

'_Kadota, you there?' _

It only took a few seconds before he heard a response:

'_Shizuo? Is something wrong?' _

'_Damn right something's wrong,' _Shizuo began viciously, his anger momentarily taking over. He almost _felt _Kadota wince.

'_Ow, calm down. You don't have to yell.' _

Shizuo felt sheepish and he quickly apologized, knowing he'd probably given Kadota a minor headache. It was a curse that telepaths had to live with – migraines and headaches when their thoughts got overloaded. A lot of people weren't strong enough to really cause Kadota any trouble, but Shizuo was apparently quite aggressive when he communicated telepathically and so the blond made it a point to try and say calm during their conversations.

'_Why didn't you give me the mission? I had to hear about it from loser who almost cried when I yelled at him.' _

'_I've literally just finished a mission. And anyway, I'll be giving you the details later on, since we're going to be the ones transporting you to your destination.'_

'_Think you can…convince Hawkins to give me another partner?' _Shizuo asked hopefully. It was unlikely that Hawkins would change her mind – she'd never listened to Shizuo's complaints before – but maybe if Kadota were the one giving the suggestion she'd be more likely to listen. If she were in a good mood and completely plastered. Which was actually quite often.

'_Shizuo…'_

'_Yeah, okay, I get it. I have to work with that flea and I don't have a choice_.' He grimaced, picking up his wallet and keys before moving to leave the apartment. He wasn't any angrier than before though. It wasn't like he'd expected any different. '_If I can't do it without him, then I'm not taking the damn mission. Hawkins knows better than to force me to do something I don't want to.'_

'_Hasn't she made you work with Izaya before?'_

'_Yeah, but I really needed the money back then. Not this time. It's not worth it.'_

'_Hawkins already briefed me on the mission – it's a pretty interesting one. You'll like it. If you take the mission that is. Just…think about it.' _

He felt Kadota retreat and the connection was broken. Shaking his head to get rid of that uncomfortable feeling of invasion he stepped into the elevator.

The Agency was only about a thirty-minute walk from his place. He could have gotten a taxi if he was feeling lazy, but he wanted to delay meeting either Izaya or Hawkins. He could honestly say he wasn't looking forward to seeing either of them. Hawkins was usually drunk and tactless and yelling profanities. As for Izaya…

He didn't even want to go into that. He shook his head, walking down the street at the slowest possible pace. A few people who saw him scattered and some even crossed the road onto the other side just to avoid being near him. Few people knew of the existence of the Agency, but most people in the vicinity knew about Shizuo and his monstrous strength. At least, they knew enough to stay away from him.

He smoked several cigarettes as he walked, going through them faster than usual thanks to the stressful situation in front of him.

_I'm not doing it. I'm not working with the flea. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not_. His thoughts became more and more vicious the closer he got to the Agency and by the time he reached it, there was a trail of crushed cigarettes littered on the pavement leading from his apartment building to the Agency.

He looked up dully at the building that was his destination. It wasn't the main headquarters of the Agency, but it was one of the smaller branches. It was a nondescript, unnoticeable office building that wouldn't have anyone looking twice. This had been done on purpose of course – it wasn't really in the public interest to have everyone knowing where the place was located.

He walked down the alleyway in between the building and its neighboring structure as casually as possible, knowing that nobody would really notice his disappearance. It didn't hurt to be extra cautious though.

Once he reached the back entrance of the building he let himself in using a Key Card given to all those connected to the Agency. Anyone who entered the building from the front would find themselves face to face with a receptionist who wouldn't let them go any further.

The inside of the office building was shiny and well kept, completely sterile, looking like a hospital almost and it unnerved him. He could see the cameras in the corner and knew that there were several security guards on each floor. Some of them were humans, others were Agents who had been trained for security. He had encountered a few of them whilst working here, in the past when he'd been a lot less cooperative. Now though, he kept his temper in check when he was in the building.

Shizuo walked down the large halls, passing by a few people who all seemed to be busy talking into their cell phones or conversing with each other or reading papers. None of them noticed him and he didn't spare them a glance as he walked towards Hawkins' office.

A couple of doors from Hawkins' office, he felt something smack into his chest, hearing a soft '_oomf_' and then the sound of someone falling onto the ground. Frowning, his confusion dissipated when a colorful shape flickered into view, then disappeared once again.

"Hn," he grunted, reaching out and grabbing the boy's collar when he flickered back into view. "You really should stop walking down the halls like this. You keep bumping into everyone."

"Ah – sorry Heiwajima-san," Mikado said sheepishly, looking slightly afraid. His invisibility seemed to be going out of control at the moment but Shizuo could see the concerned expression on his face.

He and Mikado weren't close, in fact they barely talked. Shizuo usually saw Mikado with the two other kids – the loud blond boy and the shy girl with glasses and…a large chest. It was understandable that he didn't know them well. Not only were they younger, but they were still Agents-in-training. None of them had enough control over their powers to even live outside the Agency, never mind begin taking on missions.

The three of them attended Raira Academy, the Agency's school for so-called 'Gifted Kids'. Shizuo himself had been forced to attend when his strength had surfaced, and the results had been disastrous. Broken tables, ruined classrooms, broken bones…then again, most of that was Izaya's fault.

He'd watched Mikado and his friends in some of their training sessions. The kid always seemed to lose control when he got nervous or scared, and now was no exception. His form sputtering in and out of sight was starting to give Shizuo a minor headache.

"What are you doing here? The dorms aren't in this area."

Mikado seemed to be focusing on his powers and after a short pause he remained visible, though the edges of his skin still seemed a bit blurry.

"I just finished my training session, Heiwajima-san. I…didn't do so well." Before Shizuo could ask he continued hurriedly. "I heard that you were here and wanted to see you."

Shizuo raised an eyebrow. What could Mikado possible want with _him_?

"Yeah?"

The boy nodded, looking hesitant. "One of my friends…a psychic…informed me that you'd been assigned to rescue Sonohara Anri today." Understanding dawned in Shizuo's mind.

_So that's why he's here…_

"I just…I just wanted to thank you," Mikado said hurriedly, bowing slightly. This made the blond uncomfortable and he grimaced, not really sure what to do in this situation. He wasn't used to people being grateful to him, and definitely not _bowing _to him. He didn't really want to mention that he'd been planning on trying to get out of the mission. "Anri is my friend, and I'm relieved that they chose someone as capable as you to go rescue her. I feel like she's in good hands now, Heiwajima-san, and I'm grateful that you accepted the mission, even though you barely know her and it's incredibly dangerous."

Shizuo groaned inwardly, feeling cornered by Mikado's grateful expression. It wasn't often someone laid a guilt trip on him, even an unintentional one, and now that the boy had said _this _he couldn't very well back out now, could he? That would make him seem like a complete bastard, and a coward on top of that.

Instead he took a deep drag on his cigarette, then sighed before speaking:

"You psychic friend mention anything about the outcome of the mission?"

The black-haired teen shook his head – "No, he doesn't know. He doesn't really know the future, just seems to know things without having been there. I asked him about Anri and he said that he didn't know where she was, but he knew who was assigned to rescue her. He has…good intuition."

"I'll bet he does," Shizuo grumbled under his breath. He took his cigarette and threw it onto the floor, ignoring the fact that there was a trashcan at the end of the hall. "I have to go. I'll see you round." He granted Mikado a short nod before moving past, trying not to feel the teen's eyes burning into his back.

He felt the bitterness growing inside of him and he clenched his fists.

No matter what he did, he could never escape the flea. The bastard just seemed to pop up everywhere, all the time, and just piss him off with everything he did.

He didn't want to admit it, but his fuse was growing shorter. Every time he saw Izaya, he got angrier in a short space of time. It would only be a matter of months before he snapped. And Shizuo didn't want to snap. When men like Shizuo lost control…bad things happened.

He felt a deep ache growing in the back of his head and he pushed it down. Now wasn't the time to think about things like that.

God knows, he thought about it enough when he slept. When it was dark, he remembered things he didn't want to. And that was more than enough for him.

He headed towards the briefing room, mentally preparing himself – a useless task. He knew he'd start feeling annoyed the moment he saw Izaya.

But still, a man could try, couldn't he?


	2. The Warehouse

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Durarara! characters.

**Rating:** T for swearing and violence.

**Pairings: **Shizaya friendship, Shinra/Celty, other canon pairings

**Summary: **AU. Super powered government agents Heiwajima Shizuo and Orihara Izaya are partnered together on a relatively simple search-and-rescue mission. That is, it seems simple until Shizuo is given the instructions to permanently silence his partner…

**Notes: **Wow, this one took ages to write. I went on a _long _hiatus because I suddenly lost all motivation to write but now I've managed to scrape up another chapter. So far, this is mostly just the introduction to the story and a bit of background, but in the next chapter the excitement and action will begin! And hopefully I'll be able to write the next chapter so much faster than this one. Forgive any mistakes – because this chapter took so long to write I kept having to pick up where I left off with no idea what was happening. Not to mention I'm completely out of touch with Durarara at the moment, so the details of the anime are all very vague in my mind.

Bear in mind that if you are put off by the presence of an OC, there will be a minimum amount of OCs and they will play a very small part. The focus is on Shizuo and Izaya (and their potential friendship and/or romance). Anyways, I think that covers everything so enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter Two**

**The Warehouse**

"Well, finally! Took you long enough to get your lazy ass down here!"

Shizuo was greeted with an ashtray to his forehead. He grunted in annoyance, barely noticing it as it bounced off his head and fell onto the ground, shattering. He was too used to Hawkins' lovely welcoming gifts to even care.

He heard a _'hmph_' in the corner and turned to see the flea sitting on the chair in front of Hawkins' desk, looking at him with that familiar, oh-so-arrogant smirk that pissed him off to no end. Or at least, it would have pissed him off if he hadn't caught sight of the small bruise on Izaya's forehead. Looks like he'd also gotten a taste of Hawkins' bad mood.

"Hello, Shizu-chan," Izaya began in that mocking tone. "I hear you've been well. Destroy any orphanages lately?"

Shizuo clenched his fist, feeling his face heat up with rage and humiliation. That had been one incident, none of the kids had gotten hurt – though he'd felt like shit afterwards because honestly, what kind of a monster sets an orphanage on fire? – _and_ he'd managed to prove that it was purely an accident. Things like that just happened to him, not matter how much tried to control himself. God knows, he tried to control himself all the time but he was just _too strong_.

Hawkins let out a warning growl and Izaya quieted immediately. She wasn't especially scary, but her ability to temporarily shut down a person's five senses was unnerving and the two of them had felt the brunt of that ability enough times to know not to mess with her.

"Shut up, Izaya, and sit down, Shizuo. I'm going to cut to the chase. This is a serious mission, and I need you two idiots to set aside your differences for this. You can_not_ afford to screw this up." Hawkins picked up a file and tossed it onto the desk in front of them. Shizuo leaned forward to get a better look, even though it meant he had to get closer to the flea. Hawkins opened the file, and the two of them found themselves staring at the face of a young Anri Sonohara. It wasn't a flattering picture. She looked pale and her hair had been longer and messy and her eyes were puffy and red. "The picture was taken after her mother used Saika to kill her father and then herself."

"That's messed up," Shizuo muttered.

"You think?" She flipped over the page to reveal a picture of a sword. Didn't look anything special to Shizuo, but then again he knew so little about weapons. "This is Saika. It's what her mother used for the murder and suicide, which means that now it belongs to Anri. I'm sure you two have seen her using it when looking in on their training sessions."

The two of them nod slightly. Shizuo had watched the new recruits, and he didn't doubt that Izaya had watched them too. The two boys on that team showed promise, but the girl had been a mystery to Shizuo. He'd seen her use her sword but so far, it didn't seem to do anything that a regular sword wouldn't do.

"Anri and Saika were taken a couple of hours ago. The men broke into her dorm and kidnapped her. By the time the alarms went off, they had disappeared. We believe that they had someone on the inside, which explains how they got past the security cameras and Observers. Since Saika cannot be used without Anri, I'm guessing they would want to keep her alive and unharmed, so we aren't worried about her safety at the moment. However, when you rescue her, _she must not be harmed._ Saika is indestructible, but the girl is not, do you understand?"

They both nodded.

"Kadota will fill you in on the rest of the details but before you go I have to stress this one point. The girl is _powerful_, and this mission is of the utmost importance. If her powers get into the wrong hands, the Agency is _fucked_. Do you understand? _Fucked_. So make sure you get this right. And make sure she doesn't cut you with her sword. The effects are irreversible."

She motioned for them to leave her office immediately, as she usually did so she could start her drinking again. Shizuo caught one more glimpse of the pale, stricken face of a young girl in the photograph before he turned to leave, shoving Izaya out of the way. Izaya let out an amused snort and followed behind the blond, a spring in his steps.

"_Ahh_, Shizu-chan, how rude. It figures a brute like you wouldn't have any manners," he lamented mockingly as the other stalked down the halls irritably.

Shizuo grit his teeth until they reached the front door and jerked it open, nearly ripping it off its hinges. He turned and motioned for Izaya to walk through, sneering:

"Fine then. _Ladies first_."

Izaya skipped through the door, undeterred, and headed down to the car park where they knew Kadota and the others would be waiting. "Why thank you, protozoan. I see that even an idiot like you can take a hint."

Shizuo grumbled under his breath:

"I can take a machete and slice your fucking head off too, goddamn flea."

"What was that?" As usual, Izaya's seemingly super-sensitive hearing had picked up on his words. The blond didn't reply and simply pushed him forcefully so he continued to walk, complaining cheerfully about the violence being done to him. By the time they reached the car park, which was about three minutes away from the entrance, Shizuo was turning red from anger and was having a difficult time stopping himself from ripping Izaya's black, shriveled heart out.

It wasn't unusual to feel that tingle of fear every time he even approached his partner. Not because Izaya scared him – _fuck no_ – but because the sight of Izaya Orihara was always accompanied by short bursts of hot rage that raced through his body like an electric shock. His vision began to crumble at the edges like burning paper and his hands trembled erratically. He could hear the other man chirping about some crap, but the noise was drowned out by his heartbeat thundering in his ears.

He gulped, trying to get himself under control before he did something that he would regret.

He could only manage a pained sigh of relief when Kadota's group came into view and Kadota waved at them, looking bored. He was leaning on Togusa's van, eyes straying away from the two younger ones in his group who were shrieking over some book that the girl was waving around. Every time Shizuo saw them, they were freaking out over a manga or anime and he honestly couldn't understand what they were getting so excited about. He chose to avoid them as much as possible, especially the girl – she always had this strange predatory look when she saw him and Izaya together.

The driver of the van was tampering with his car, holding the hood up as the frowned at its insides. He glanced up, noticed the two of them and grimaced. It was a common reaction at seeing the two enemies in such close proximity. Izaya's presence was making his skin crawl at the moment and as the other lifted a hand in a mock-wave, Shizuo recoiled slightly to avoid any accidental contact.

"Dotachin, what a pleasure to see you," Izaya said teasingly, clearly noticing the irritated twitch in their friend's brow when he used that name.

"Izaya, Shizuo, good to see you," Kadota acknowledged, tilting his head towards them. His eyes, although seemingly blank, locked onto the blond's intensely and he could feel himself being studied carefully.

In his head, Shizuo could hear Kadota's voice:

'_I thought you weren't taking the mission.'_

'_I changed my mind.' _

'_What happened between then and now to change your mind?'_

'_Nothing happened. I just decided to take it.'_

That was the end of it. Izaya gave him a look, showing that he was clearly aware of the silent communication between them, but said nothing.

They climbed into the van and Togusa began to drive, hands shuffling through various papers. He didn't need to look at the road to drive, and his hands never touched the steering wheel. It was something that Shizuo still had to get used to even now.

Kadota briefed them on the mission as quickly as possible, laying a crumpled map in the middle of the group:

"The girl and Saika are being held at this warehouse, a couple miles from here. At the moment we're here, and it'll take about ten minutes to reach the warehouse. Walker will point you to the getaway vehicle and then take you as far into the warehouse as possible. He'll wait outside the warehouse near the back entrance, so once you have the girl and Saika, take them as close to that entrance as possible and tell me. Then I can signal for him to go in and retrieve them. Their safety is the mission's priority. Once they are out of harm's way, their kidnappers must be eliminated. From what we know, they have at least one Random, if not two. Once you've eliminated them, you must head to the getaway vehicle outside the warehouse – Walker will show you where it is – and Togusa will drive you away."

The two of them nodded, both of them frowning at the map as they mapped out tactics in their head. Well, Shizuo assumed that Izaya was planning out a strategy in his twisted little mind, whereas he himself was content with wondering how many people he could punch in the face this time. He imagined his fist meeting the face of that poor girl's kidnapper and he felt a tingle of anticipation.

They arrived at the warehouse within minutes, parking several blocks out of sight, and Kadota opened the door of the van so they could climb out. Erika pulled a large mirror with a simple gold-colored frame out of the van and set it against the windshield, studying it carefully. Shizuo watched as she adjusted it, a gleam in her eyes.

Once it was finished, she practically purred, "This size is _perfect_. I can see everything I need to see." She wiped the dust off the mirror with a cloth and smirked. "Ohh, I can't imagine what it's going to be like observing through Takeru's bathroom mirror!"

There was a loud thudding sound as Togusa nearly slid off the car hood, on which he had been leaning. "You _what?_" he spluttered. She ignored him and continued to beam at the mirror, tracing her finger down the edge with the gentle touch of a lover. Shizuo watched as her eyes glowed yellow for a second before returning to their normal chocolate brown.

"The girl is inside the warehouse, tied to a chair in the center."

"How many people are guarding her?"

Erika frowned in concentration, her eyes flashing again. "One…two…umm, about six. Three of them are patrolling, and the other three are surrounding her. None of them are showing signs of being Randoms at the moment, but there's a girl guarding her who probably is. Something about the way she's standing just _screams _power." She gestured dramatically to prove her point, then let her hands drop. She looked up and nodded at the others. "Okay, all clear. I can see all the corners and none of the Randoms seem to be blocking my powers. I can guide you to the patrolling guards so you can take them out one by one – it'll be easier to deal with the Randoms that way."

Shizuo, Izaya and Walker headed off, the others bidding them a quick 'good luck'. Within seconds they had turned the corner out of sight and Kadota quickly reached for them telepathically:

'_Can you hear me?'_

'_Loud and clear,' _Shizuo replied, and he noticed Izaya's expression flicker, indicating that he was also communicating with their friend.

Walker led them quickly and silently, every once in a while grabbing them by the wrists and ducking out of sight when Erika warned them – through Kadota's telepathy – that they were in danger of being spotted. Finally, at the corner of the warehouse itself, Walker paused and motioned for them to glance around.

"That's the car," he muttered, pointing to a nondescript dark blue car on the road a few meters away. It was parked in front of a van and did not look suspicious in the least. "Togusa is controlling it from where he is, with Erika as his guide, so don't be surprised if his driving is a little-"

"Nuts. Yeah, we remember," Shizuo grunted.

Izaya made a noise next to him, clearly recalling every other time they had been forced into a getaway vehicle controlled by Togusa and guided by Erika. The girl's instructions were often unclear and rather jumpy, so Togusa had a difficult time trying to make their escape as smooth as possible, especially when he began to fight with Erika about her crappy directions.

"Anri and I will be waiting for you two in that car. Make sure you bring Saika with you, and…don't leave any survivors," Walker added reluctantly.

"Tch, not a problem. I'm sure Shizu-chan is looking forward to that."

"_Izaya_, I swear to god I'm going to kill you once this is over."

His fingers itched to strangle the flea, but Izaya simply smirked at him, flicking open his blade and pointing it at the blond. "That's what I keep hearing, but so far I'm still alive and kicking. Why is that, Shizu-chan? Maybe you don't really want me dead after all." He tweaked his wrist and the movement nearly made Shizuo explode with rage.

He leapt forward, hands outstretched and ready to snap that scrawny little neck. Izaya dodged out of the way, laughing delightedly and carving a long line on Shizuo's arm.

"Stop it, you guys! Stop it!" Walker yelped, looking frightened by their dangerous display so close to the warehouse. "People can hear you!" He glanced around nervously, unsure of whether he should interrupt their brawl. Most people with half a brain knew not to get in the way of a fight between Shizuo and Izaya, even at a crucial time like this; it was the equivalent of playing with a toaster in a bathtub.

"Ah, ah, ah, Shizu-chan. You hear that? You're going to get us in trouble," Izaya mocked. "Probably killed. Maybe you should learn to control your temper, before certain people end up _dead_."

"_You're _the only person who's gonna die, flea!" Shizuo snarled, grabbing hold of a nearby traffic light. His skin burned as he realized just who Izaya was referring to, but he refused to think about it. Instead, he just grasped the traffic light with one hand, tensing up as he readied himself to pull it out of the ground.

Walker seemed to have seen his chance and Shizuo felt something grasp him around his waist tightly, then froze as he felt his feet sinking into the ground.

"What the _hell_?" he roared, twisting around. Walker had let go of him and he was now knee deep in concrete. Even with his strength, he couldn't get enough momentum or power to rip his legs out.

Walker looked positively terrified at what he'd just done, and spluttered to explain himself:

"I'm sorry, Heiwajima-san! I'm really, really sorry but I had to do it! If you two fight, you'll be putting the mission in danger, and our lives and Sonohara Anri's life in danger as well."

Shizuo felt his anger drain almost immediately at the mention of the Sonohara girl and the potential danger he was putting her in with his irrationality. He calmed his heavy breathing, clenching his fists several times and feeling the blood rushing through his head, but the burst of fury was over and finally, when he was calm, he nodded to Walker to free him.

The boy did so hesitantly, as if Shizuo were some animal luring him into a trap of false security.

"Fine, I'll stop. But only this once, and only if _he _stays out of my face," he snarls, shooting a death glare at the other, who merely smirked at him.

"_Ahh_, it's not my fault Shizu-chan has such a short temper-"

Walker grabbed the man's arm, freezing suddenly and jerkily motioning for the two of them to be silent. Around the corner, Shizuo could hear dragging footsteps, most likely belonging to a lumbering giant of a man who didn't seem to pride himself on the art of stealth. His footsteps betrayed his size, and it was an educated guess that led the blond to believe that a man of his size and strength wouldn't need to be discreet.

The man was approaching them and both Shizuo and Izaya hunched over, clearly ready to fight. He watched the other man reach into his pocket, fingers no doubt brushing against that hated weapon of his.

Walker had other plans, and before they could protest he snagged their wrists, causing them to jolt in surprise.

"_Shit_," Izaya hissed on the other side of the boy. Walker tensed and melted them back into the wall, but already Shizuo could feel the strain this was having on him. If he were a rookie, he would have been drained of energy already. As it was, once the man was in sight, the kid was holding out, albeit barely. But that wasn't the problem.

Behind them, inside the warehouse, another man was patrolling casually. Shizuo lifted his head and turned around just enough to catch a peek in front of him, though not enough to pull them out of the wall. He could see the guard through the mist of the wall approaching leisurely, one hand resting on the gun at his side and the other picking at his teeth. He silently willed him to speed up, to do anything before the three of them met a highly creative and sickening fate.

It was weird, and unpleasant. Shizuo really didn't like this feeling of being trapped in the wall, the only solid thing being Walker's hand. He could feel the kid shaking slightly and wondered how much longer he could hold out before reaching his limit.

What would happen then? Would they get trapped in the wall?

He was sure that if Shinra were here, he would be blaring out some gruesome explanation of what would happen to them on a molecular level until Shizuo wanted to punch him in the face. It was a natural reaction to his friend's constant blabbering, not completely dissimilar to his reaction to pretty much anything Izaya did.

Shinra wasn't here though, and he could only imagine what would happen if Walker's shaking got any worse and he either decided to save himself and let go of them or hold on until all three of them were trapped in the wall-

The footsteps faded out from both sides and now the only danger that remained was their unnatural presence in the wall. He felt Walker lean back, pulling them roughly so that they all stumbled into the warehouse behind them.

"Oh wow," Walker gasped, letting his hands fall to his sides. He was really pale. "I thought I wasn't going to make it for a second." His legs gave out beneath him and he would have face planted if not for Shizuo's fast reflexes. The blond glared up at Izaya, who hadn't even moved to help the kid. Asshole. "I'm all right, Heiwajima-san. I just need a few minutes to recover. I'll be hiding here out of sight, so once you have Anri and Saika, bring them to this very spot. Now _go_."

Almost irritably, as if the last couple of minutes had pushed him to the very edge of his patience with them, he pushed them forward and melted back into the shadows, the only indication of his presence being the burning of his gaze into their backs.

The two men accidentally brushed against each other but unlike any other time, they barely reacted. There was a time and a place for trying to kill each other and fortunately, they both knew that it would have to wait. But that wasn't a problem – they'd waited this long to kill each other. They could wait until after this mission.


	3. Explosion, Challenge

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Durarara! characters.

**Rating:** T for swearing and violence.

**Pairings: **Shizaya friendship (or more?), Shinra/Celty, other canon pairings

**Summary: **AU. Super powered government agents Heiwajima Shizuo and Orihara Izaya are partnered together on a relatively simple search-and-rescue mission. That is, it seems simple until Shizuo is given the instructions to permanently silence his partner…

**Notes: **And finally, the action begins! God, it's been long enough, hasn't it? You're going to have to forgive me for any inaccuracies in the following chapters. I've been so out of touch with Durarara that can barely remember anything that happens in the series. If any of the characters are OOC or if you spot any mistakes then please feel free to tell me so I can correct that for future chapters.

Also, a warning – the violence gets quite graphic in this chapter. Any resemblance to the 'Incredibles' will probably end with the amount of violence and dark material that begins to arise during and after this chapter. Hopefully it's not too disturbing for anyone, because it's a guilty pleasure of mine to write very violent and gory action scenes.

**Chapter Three**

**Explosion**

Kida was such an eavesdropper. He was always so nosy and curious about other people's business, and he was never ashamed of sneaking around to gather whatever dirt he could about anyone he knew. The moment a whisper of gossip was heard his ears would perk up and he would begin pestering whoever he thought would be able to tell him what he wanted to find out.

He had no qualms about dragging his best friend into the center of the drama, claiming that it was for Mikado's own good. A person needed to know the ins and outs of the Agency if they ever wanted to get near the top.

"Networking," he would say, pointing a finger at the center of his friend's forehead, an inch from his face, "is the only way you can climb your way up in a place like this. There's no better way to network than to dig up everything you can find about that person, because that's gives you an edge over everyone else. You know what to say to them, or what not to say, or whatever. So, Mikado, I need you to keep your eyes and ears open and tell me _everything_ you hear."

He especially liked hearing about people's sex lives. The hot female agents' sex lives in particular.

That was why it didn't really surprise Mikado when he stumbled upon Kida pressing his ear to Hawkins' door, face tense with concentration. Hawkins was one of Kida's targets – not only was she supremely attractive, but she was, in Kida's words, "always plastered." He sighed, approaching the blond with considerable reluctance. With everything that had happened involving Anri, he wasn't in the mood for Kida's ramblings and failed attempts at seducing superiors. He wasn't even sure how Kida could think of doing that at a time like this.

"Kida, what are you-"

Alarmed, the blond's eyes widened and he slapped a hand over Mikado's mouth, making a soft shushing noise. Before his friend could protest, he had been pulled forward so that he was crouched next to the door. When Kida spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper:

"Agent Three is in there."

Mikado stared at him in shock. "Agent Three? As in _the _Agent Three? What's he doing in Hawkins' office?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out. It's something about Shizuo and Izaya, and their mission. They've mentioned Anri a few times, but I can't hear them properly. We're going to have to go inside."

"If they catch us, they'll make us disappear," Mikado hissed, eyes darting frantically to the door. He was as desperate, if not more, to know what Agent Three was doing here, but he didn't want to disappear. He'd known agents who had disappeared and he wasn't disillusioned – 'disappearing' was the term they used when an agent needed to be terminated permanently. Unlike any other person though, there would be no burial, no records and no proof that you ever existed. The thought frightened him, almost enough to insist on staying out here, or better yet, just leaving the general vicinity. "How do you know that Agent Three won't sense us there?"

"I don't," Kida mumbled. "But we have to try. The stuff they're saying, Mikado, it isn't right. Something's up, and I'm willing to bet it involves Anri. She's our friend, and if she's in danger we have a right to know. You with me?" He held out his hands, looking expectantly at Mikado. The other boy hesitated momentarily, then nodded grimly and grasped Kida's hand. He concentrated deeply, watching as his body flickered out of sight in an instant. Kida's disappearance was much more gradual, the edges of his figure turning blurry before he slowly faded away and Mikado found himself looking down the hallway. "You ready?"

Mikado made a soft noise of approval, though inside he braced himself for what was about to happen.

"Remember, don't look into his eyes. They say that's how he gets into your soul."

Kida's hands tightened around his, and he felt his whole body drop suddenly like he was falling into the ground, then suddenly he was face to face with the corner of Hawkins' office, body trembling slightly. He'd never get used to that horrible feeling – like the floor had just been pulled out from under his feet.

The voices, once muffled by the door, were now loud and clear. Mikado, not daring to move, silently turned his head so that he could get a good look at _the _Agent Three.

The man who was the Head of the Agency, one of the most powerful beings in the organization, certainly looked the part. He had the air of a sharp, proud businessman who would rather sacrifice his entire group of employees than admit defeat, the kind of man who would trample on everyone in his way just to prove a point. Nothing on this person was out of place – not the slicked-back black hair, nor the spotless grey suit and pitch black tie. His eyes though, were his most striking and terrifying feature. The tiny pupils were surrounded by a constant moving swirl of grey and black and white, colors moving and circling and flashing around the black dots so fluidly they were hypnotizing.

Mesmerized, he felt himself lean forward and would have toppled over if not for his friend giving him a gentle squeeze. It was almost as if Kida had read his mind and known that he would fall into the trap of looking into the man's eyes.

Agent Three had paused, looking sweepingly around the room. For one terrifying moment, Mikado felt like that man _knew _they were being watched. But he did not indicate that anything was different and continued to speak, his voice emotionless:

"He's been showing signs of losing control lately, and he's begun questioning orders. If everything happens like it did before, he'll start to defy us and eventually go into a rage."

"Last time there was a trigger that caused the incident. When he discovered the truth about his brother he lost control, but from what I've seen Kasuka has proven to be his only weak spot. Won't Shizuo's memory of the incident stop history from repeating itself?"

For once, Hawkins was stone cold sober, her eyes focused on a spot slightly below Agent Three's chin – she was also clearly aware of what would happen if they made eye contact.

"From the reports, it seems that Izaya is managing to carve out another little weak spot in Shizuo's psyche, though I wouldn't compare it to his weakness for his brother. I have a suspicion that if we allow them to continue their little rivalry it won't be long before Shizuo reaches his breaking point. I want to prevent that from happening."

"If you think that Izaya will push him to the edge, why have you been partnering them up together? Shouldn't you be trying to avoid them being in the same vicinity, never mind actually working on a mission together?"

"I've needed Shizuo to be forced with Izaya, to allow his hatred to grow, mainly because I've decided to kill two birds with one stone. Izaya has become a problem for this Agency, and it is time for him to be terminated. Unfortunately, his powers are well-developed and I've been wary about who I can send to eliminate him, but I discovered that Shizuo seems to be quite immune to his…persuasions."

Mikado felt Kida's hands tighten around his, and he remembered the blond once telling him that Izaya's powers had become less effective after one particular incident, involving a girl named Saki and a misguided rescue attempt. After that incident, Kida had been one of the few people able to somewhat resist Izaya's powers if he tried. The effort would leave him weak and with a nose gushing precious blood, but he managed. To think that Shizuo was completely immune made Mikado wonder just how powerful the blond was.

"You want Shizuo to kill Izaya? Then what?"

"If Shizuo kills the informant, he'll have vented his rage. With Izaya gone, Shizuo will retreat back into his more complacent self and we can have him eliminated once his usefulness runs out. If Shizuo doesn't kill Izaya…then I guess we'll have a very interesting situation on our hands."

Hawkins scoffed. "Shizuo hates him – I'm sure he'll have no problem with the task."

Agent Three shot her a look tainted with amusement. "I always prepare for the worst. If-"

Mikado felt that falling sensation and couldn't help but gasp at the suddenness of it, but fortunately they were no longer in Hawkins' office anymore. Instead, Mikado recognized the room he shared with Kida, staring at his friend's side of the room that was plastered with posters of bands and pictures of scantily clad women. His own side was practically bare, with the exception of a couple of pictures of himself, Anri and Kida.

He had barely adjusted to having been teleported so roughly before Kida was up and pacing the room frantically, looking torn between concern and confusion:

"Did you hear what he was saying? They're going to terminate Izaya. Well, they're going to get Shizuo to terminate Izaya, but whatever. The guy's a powerful agent, and he's proven himself to be insanely useful to the Agency countless times, so why would they suddenly want him dead?"

"Agent Three said that Izaya had become a problem for them. Maybe…maybe he's involved with the enemy? Or maybe he knows something that could get them in trouble, something that he isn't supposed to know," Mikado offered tentatively. In all honesty, he wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that Izaya Orihara might be killed in the next couple of hours. He didn't particularly like the man, but that was nowhere near wishing him dead. He caught a flash of Izaya's crumpled figure, blank eyes staring forward, broken body strewn carelessly on the ground, and he shuddered.

"I wonder what he knows that would mark him as a threat," Kida mused.

Mikado was sure that the Agency was riddled with secrets and confidential information, things that would be dangerous if they got into the hands of a man like Izaya, a man known to sell information to gain favors. Izaya Orihara was the kind of person that you either wanted on your side, or dead. He was also skilled at cheating death, and if anyone else had been tasked to kill him, Mikado would not have worried that they would get the job done.

Shizuo, however, was another story.

**-o-o-o-o-**

**-o-o-o-o-**

The third man to come across them was sharp-eyed, lanky and slow to react. Shizuo had already located Anri with the help of Kadota's instructions and the two men were peering around the corner of a shelf when the first guard came across them completely by accident.

His first mistake was to pause in shock for a single millisecond. His second mistake was to lock eyes with Izaya.

Shizuo tensed, ready to jump the man the moment he showed signs of giving away their position, but he needn't have bothered. The guard was already blank-faced, near drooling and eyes glazed yet focused on Izaya, who was holding his gaze with ease.

"_Sleep_," the informant instructed under his breath, and the man dropped like a stone to the ground. Shizuo was already prepared to catch him, and he stuffed the man's unconscious body in one of the shelves as quietly as possible, shifting the boxes to hide him from sight. The other guards had been disposed of in a similar manner, and according to Erika, the only ones left were the three guarding their target. "You got a plan?" His voice was barely louder than a mumble, eyes darting towards the gap in the shelves.

Shizuo could see a blindfolded Anri tied to a chair, head tilted downwards and the slight rise and fall of her chest being the only indication she was even alive. A trickle of blood had dried on her chin and he could see a faint bruise on her cheek, which made his skin ripple with irritation. What kind of bastards hit a young girl?

Snapping out of his daze of anger, he suddenly realized what had just occurred:

"Since when do you look to me for a plan?" It had always been clear that Izaya thought he was a no-brained primate, and therefore always told Shizuo what to do during the missions. As much as the blond hated to admit it, the informant's plan had never led them astray, so he followed with a glare and a death threat.

"I find myself to be a little distracted today, Shizu-chan, and I don't trust my judgment," was the offhand reply. The casual way he said this made Shizuo's head begin to hurt and he gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the flashing lights in his vision.

"Well, _get focused_," he hissed. "The last thing we need is your head in the clouds while we try to rescue that little girl. If she gets hurt, I'll break your fucking neck."

Izaya stared at him, his expression unreadable. He lifted his blade, pointing it directly at Shizuo's forehead: "Don't worry, Shizu-chan, you'll get your chance to kill me before the day is over. I have a feeling that this time you might succeed."

Before Shizuo could ask him what he meant, the informant stepped back, eyeing the rack that they were stood behind. The shelves of the warehouse reached the ceiling and were filled with numerous objects – mostly heavy boxes. The man's eyes were darting around and Shizuo knew that a plan was forming in that wicked brain of his. His head began to throb from the pressure and he knew that if he didn't hit something or someone soon, the pain would be too much.

"All right, Shizu-chan, do exactly what I say," Izaya muttered, then pointed to the shelf in front of them. "Tip this over."

The blond frowned, but went to position himself with his hands under the giant shelf and gripped the wood tight. _'The girl' _he mouthed, and Izaya tapped his own head, indicating that he had 'spoken' to Kadota. The telepath's voice speared through the growing fog of agony :

'_Izaya told me the plan. Don't worry about Anri, Walker will grab her from below.'_

That was all Shizuo needed. Tensing, he began to lift the shelves and winced as it groaned loudly. The boxes began to tremble and the entire structure shuddered before tilting over slowly. The bright lights in front of his eyes began to diminish as his muscles ached from the strain of the action. He heard the sounds of alarm behind the shelf-

"_What the fuck? Holy shit!"_

"_Get the sword!" _

"_The girl! Where the fuck's the girl?" _

He threw his arms up violently, sending the rack backwards towards the center of the warehouse at a ridiculous speed. He barely had time to duck before all hell broke loose.

There was a loud whizzing sound, slicing through his head, before the shelves _exploded_ seconds later. A mass of flames burst up, filling his vision with a swirl of red and yellow and orange. The blast knocked him backwards, scorching his skin with heat and making all the colors and edges momentarily blur and turn dark red. He saw two figures rise from the burning debris before running to the side and melting into the wall and despite the confusion he knew that Anri and Walker were safe.

Dazed, he lifted himself from the ground, knocking away charred wood from his skin. He knew that if he didn't regain his composure he could be killed any second and the very thought forced him to stumble away from the center. The fire was roaring, burning through the broken pile of shelves that he had tipped over. Flames were licking at the other shelves and spreading.

Through the smoke and fire he saw Izaya stumbling away from the chaos and throwing himself behind another rack, somehow still making his actions seem light and graceful. Shizuo followed after, hoping that none of the kidnappers saw him. In the state his mind was in, he'd be a pretty easy target at this moment.

He collapsed next to Izaya, so close that he was practically in the other man's lap, and swore:

"Fuck, fuck, fuck! I wasn't expecting that! I didn't realize they were so powerful!"

When Izaya spoke, his voice was hoarse form the smoke: "It's the girl. She's shooting blasts from her eyes that caused the explosion. It means that I won't be able to hypnotize her without risk of her blasting my head into pieces."

"Ha, maybe you should give it a shot anyway," Shizuo sneered, and the other shot him a hateful glare, his usually playful composure temporarily shattered by the situation. "What about the other two?"

"The human is dead, but the other Random isn't anywhere in sight. If he's as powerful as the other one, I doubt a little explosion like that was enough to kill him." The informant hissed, his face twisted in an expression of pure annoyance. "I blame the Agency for this. That Random is clearly a Level 5, and they should have warned us in advance." He inhaled some of the smoke and began to cough violently, then steadied himself, eyes watering from the pain. "The sword is still there."

"You kill the girl, I'll handle the other one and when they're dead, we can grab the sword."

"Oh, what a brilliant plan, Shizu-chan," Izaya hissed. "I especially enjoyed the part where you dumped _explosion_ girl on me even though my powers are all but useless against hers."

"I thought you'd appreciate the challenge, _flea_."

Izaya pulled his knife out from the pocket of his jacket, flicking it open and peering around the corner. He jerked back violently, grabbing Shizuo by the collar and hauling him away from the shelf. "_She's coming!_"

The shelf exploded behind them, sending them careening forward. This time they were ready and Shizuo rolled forward to cushion the fall. Without hesitation he grabbed the first thing within reach – a heavy box fitted on the second shelf of a rack – and lifted it. He could hear the clanging of metal as he lifted the box and heaved it with all his might towards the source of the explosions. The Random didn't move, simply sending an optic blast of energy towards the flying projectile.

"Oh _noooo_," Izaya groaned, before-

The box blasted into pieces, shards of wood flying everywhere. Shizuo put a hand up to shield himself from the debris but something felt wrong. It took a couple of milliseconds to realize the searing pain in his arms wasn't just in his imagination. Vaguely he heard the agonized screams around himself, but his eyes were fixated in horror on the droplets of molten metal that had landed on his arm and he could smell his skin burning and feel the heated metal sizzling away at his flesh. The pain was near unbearable but he couldn't scream, merely let out a choked cry.

The Random was lurching around, shrieking and clawing at her face. One of her eyes had been completely melted, some of it leaking down her face and burning a path on her skin. The other one was shooting optic blasts at random, darting around rapidly and unseeingly. The warehouse had become a cage of fireworks and they were trapped in the middle.

In his haze of pain and chaos, Shizuo could see Izaya on the ground, hands gripping his leg tightly and face contorted in agony. His right pant leg had been burned off, material melting into the informant's leg which was scalded beyond repair, and as the blond watched, Izaya moved and some of the burnt skin sloughed off under his hands.

The fire was everywhere. He couldn't understand how things had gone so bad so quickly, but then again they'd never faced such a formidably destructive opponent with so little preparation.

Hands gripped him tight and pulled him around, and he was too shocked to resist, too stunned by the suddenness of the movement.

Lips met his in a rough kiss.

He felt hands holding his face and his mouth parting, but he didn't respond. The surprise cleared and he found himself facing the other Random, who was currently keeping him in a death grip and glowing a deep red. Shizuo's strength began to drain away and weakly he cursed himself for having completely forgotten about the other Random.

After what seemed like an eternity, the man released him, giving him no time to shakily stumble back before pushing him to the ground. Shizuo's strength was almost completely gone and he could do nothing except watch as the man gripped one of the metal bars from a rack and ripped it off, tipping the entire thing over. It slammed into another shelf, creating a domino effect and a deafening clatter.

"You son of a _bitch_," he wheezed, tight with fury and shame. "You stole my power. You…_stole_…"

The blond tried to crawl away unsuccessfully from his attacker. He couldn't die like this, couldn't die at all. He hadn't even killed the flea yet, hadn't redeemed himself for his wrongdoings, hadn't done so many things he'd wanted to do. Dying like this would be pathetic and he couldn't stand the thought that he had made it so easy for the enemy.

The Random approached him with the bar calmly, ignoring the howls of pain from his comrade, or the fact that the entire warehouse was on the verge of going up in flames. The flames around him were growing and behind him things were shattering and bursting and exploding but he lifted the crowbar nonetheless and brought it down, using his borrowed super strength, and Shizuo could only close his eyes and hope it was quick:

_Thwack-_

The sickening sound of metal meeting flesh wasn't accompanied by intense agony or the peace of death like he'd expected. Instead he felt something heavy land on him and his eyes snapped open when warm drops of liquid landed on his face.

He was met with the sight of black hair matted down by blood onto pale skin. What was under that was a gruesome picture.

Izaya's face had been practically ripped open diagonally, blood gushing from the slash down his cheeks and neck. The man was still alive, breath gurgling pathetically and chest rising and falling, and Shizuo could only stare at the gaping wound in dismay .

"Why would you…how could you…_why_?" he asked, his words coming out in a garbled moan. Izaya's eyes flickered towards him and he managed a weak, unintelligible mumble before sliding into unconsciousness. His body slumped down, sending a jolt of absolute terror into Shizuo's heart.

He caught the bar mid-swing, his eyes rising to meet those of his attacker's, gaze burning with hatred.

"You _bastard_," he snarled, pulling the bar out of he man's hands and swinging it with all the strength he had. The bar smacked into the man's neck and there was the distinct crack of bones breaking. He wasted no time in heaving the bar like a javelin towards the other Random, impaling her.

She stumbled back, her one good eye darting around and sending stray optic blasts around the warehouse before finally closing. The damage was done, however, and before Shizuo had time to think, his world turned to flame.


End file.
